Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Jeremić said that he will propose to the newly formed government that the diplomats return to their EU posts. However, diplomats to some non-EU countries, as well as the United States, Kosovo’s strongest ally, would remain in Belgrade.

Serbian ambassadors were pulled out of more than 40 countries, including a majority of the EU’s member states, when they recognised Kosovo’s statehood earlier this year.

Jeremić underlined that the proposed move does not entail recognition of Kosovo as an independent state.

Jeremić’s proposal has the backing of Russia, the strongest international supporter of Serbia’s efforts to retain sovereignty over Kosovo. However, Serbia’s nationalist opposition was quick to denounce Jeremić’s move, calling it “a capitulation”, and a leader of Serbs living in northern Kosovo, Milan Ivanović, claimed it amounted to “a soft approach to recognising an independent Kosovo”.

The proposal is also an early test of the governing coalition, which includes one traditionally hardline nationalist party, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) created by the late Slobodan Milosević, Serbia’s authoritarian leader in the 1990s.

Jeremić, who is hoping that closer ties could influence EU actions in Kosovo, also announced that he will invite Lamberto Zanier, the new chief of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), for talks on the future make-up of the international civilian presence in Kosovo.

Plans for UNMIK to hand over authority to an EU mission, EULEX, after the adoption of Kosovo’s constitution this April have faltered due to stiff Russian opposition in the UN Security Council. The UN might allow the presence of the EU mission in Albanian areas, but would remain in control in the northern, Serb-dominated parts of the province.

Jeremić, however, claimed that EU’s civilian presence in Kosovo still is dependent on Serbian consent.

The Serbian government is keen to normalise its ties with the EU in order to win EU candidate status by the end of the year and remove the visa requirements on it citizens wanting to visit the Union. However, one element of that normalisation and development of relations with the EU – ratification of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) reached with the EU in April – is currently encountering problems in Serbia’s parliament as the opposition is filibustering the motion.

The immediate significance of the vote is limited, as EU member states all need to approve the SAA, a first step towards membership, and they have made their backing contingent on Serbia co-operating more fully with international efforts to bring suspected war criminals to justice.